Ending HIV

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QOL & CLINICAL INSIGHTS

The goal for a good quality of life

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has dramatically altered the natural history of HIV: people living with HIV now have longer lives than ever before.[1,2] However, new challenges in HIV care have arisen alongside this greater longevity.[2–4] People living with HIV face physical, mental, psychosocial and sexual concerns in relation to their HIV care, and contend with higher risks of polypharmacy and comorbidities.[3–7] These concerns can substantially impact the perceived level of well-being and health of people living with HIV—their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). For people living with HIV, HRQoL encompasses a range of components, including physical, social, functional and psychological factors.[3,6,8,9]

Now is the time to embrace a person-centred model of care for people living with HIV that supports them to thrive with a good HRQoL.[8–11] This formed the basis of the 'fourth 90', a HIV care target that extends the continuum-of-services paradigm and aims to improve HRQoL, and the updated 100% target in Australia.[8,9,12]

This updated 95% target is an extension of the UNAIDS ’95-95-95’ campaign, a series of ambitious targets to help end the AIDS epidemic.[13]

Adapted from UNAIDS[13] and NAPWHA[12].

Clinical insights to improving HRQoL

Understanding the relationship between the care experiences of people living with HIV and self-reported outcomes for HRQoL is an important aspect of identifying how HRQoL can be improved.[3,5]

Positive Perspectives Wave 2 confirmed the importance of a holistic approach to HIV care, including the importance of engagement between people living with HIV and healthcare professionals (HCP) for improving HRQoL.[3]

The study focused on several key areas in HIV care:[3]

Open and active dialogue between HCPs and people living with HIV

Undetectable=Untransmittable (U=U)

Impact of polypharmacy

Treatment challenges and aspirations

HIV in under-represented groups

Study design

The Positive Perspectives Wave 2 study is the second in a series of studies aimed at revealing the experiences of people living with HIV and providing insights into HRQoL and challenges in HIV care.[3]

Positive Perspectives Wave 2 is one of the largest, global, HIV patient-reported outcomes studies to date: 2,389 people living with HIV aged 18–84 across 25 countries participated in the Positive Perspectives Wave 2 study.[3]

How can we support people living with HIV to thrive with a good HRQoL?

Learn about PozQoL

Women in red plaid long sleeve shirt holding phone showing a mockup of the PozQoL Scale. Blurry lights in the background.

Focus on wellbeing with the PozQoL Digital Tool

Help people living with HIV focus on their wellbeing with the PozQoL Digital Tool – an easy-to-use way to help measure quality of life online.

Start PozQoL

The Positive Perspectives Wave 2 study was sponsored by ViiV Healthcare.

This study could not have been completed without people living with HIV who have generously shared their time, experiences, and bodies, for the purposes of this research. Much of the fight against HIV and AIDS relies upon people living with HIV continuing to put themselves forward and this research and our fight against HIV and AIDS is indebted to those past and present.

References:

  1. Wandeler G et al. Curr Opin HIV AIDS. 2016; 11(5): 492–500.
  2. Althoff KN et al. Curr Opin HIV AIDS. 2016; 11(5): 527–36.
  3. ViiV Healthcare. Positive Perspectives Study, Wave 2 Results Report. June 2021. Available at: https://viivhealthcare.com/content/dam/cf-viiv/viiv-healthcare/en_GB/files/030821-updated-pp2-report-approved.pdf Accessed April 2024.
  4. Okoli C et al. AIDS Behav. 2021; 25(5): 1384–95 (including supplement).
  5. Allan B et al. Popul Med. 2021; 31: 1–14.
  6. Okoli C et al. Prev Chronic Dis. 2020; 17: E22.
  7. de Los Rios P et al. AIDS Behav. 2021; 25(3): 961–72.
  8. Lazarus JV et al. BMC Med. 2016; 14(1): 94.
  9. Lazarus JV et al. Nat Commun. 2021; 12(1): 4450.
  10. Brown G et al. BMC Public Health. 2018; 18(1): 527.
  11. ASHM. Australian Consensus Statement on Person-Centred HIV Care. Available at: https://www.ashm.org.au/resources/uu-ashm-guidance-for-healthcare-professionals/ Accessed April 2024.
  12. National Association of People with HIV Australia (NAPWHA). Quality of Life. Available at https://napwha.org.au/ausqol/ Accessed April 2024.
  13. UNAIDS. 2025 AIDS Targets. Available at https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/2025-AIDS-Targets_en.pdf Accessed April 2024.

NP-AU-HVX-WCNT-220003 | Date of preparation: April 2024.